Mortenson Construction officially completed Phase II of the Bill Snyder Stadium Master Plan on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, Kan., on August 21, 2013. The transformation was completed ahead of schedule, a full week before the defending Big 12 Champion Wildcats take on two-time defending FCS?National Champion North Dakota State in the first game of the season.
The largest project in K-State Athletics history will greatly improve the game-day experience for Kansas State University fans with new amenities, concessions, ADA seating, restrooms, premium seating, improved media and broadcast facilities, new field lighting – levels meet Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Games and high-definition TV broadcast requirements, a Hall of Fame, plaza improvements, and an enhanced tailgating experience.
"The Mortenson | GE Johnson team put an impressive amount of work in place in an aggressive eight-month time frame," said Derek Cunz, vice president at Mortenson Construction. "This accomplishment would not have been possible without the seamless collaboration between the design team, construction team, trade partners, University facilities and University athletics."
Other contributing factors cited by Cunz include:
- Selection of Mortenson | GE Johnson as the single CM for the entire project, including FF&E, food service, signage, and furniture.
- Early involvement between planning and design.
- Focus on interim milestones.
- Integration of Virtual Design and Construction into the daily planning.
- Prefabrication of many exterior elements, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical.
- Mortenson | GE Johnson self-performed the concrete and site work to manage the schedule, safety, and quality from the beginning of the project.
"We've sold a record number of season tickets," said K-State's Athletics Director, John Currie. "We'll have the most fans ever to come to the stadium this season, about 400,000, and set the all-time attendance record. We appreciate our partners Mortenson and GE Johnson and the great job they've done for our fans." Tickets for the opening game on Friday against North Dakota State are sold-out.
Project Statistics
- 218,000 square feet of new construction
- 12,000 cubic yards of concrete
- 78,000 square feet of stone veneer
- 390 peak workers on site every day during construction
- 750,000+ craftworker hours worked
- 1,250 tons of rebar
- 479 days to build Kansas State's Northwest Gateway
- 2,500 tons of structural and misc steel
- 44 new private suites
- 37 new loge boxes
- 713 new club seats
- 56 bid packages / trade partners
- New lighting for East & West parking lots
- Entire project funded by donors, premium seat gifts, and athletics revenue; NO State or University dollars.
- Demolition of the existing press box December 15, 2012; first game being played August 30, 2013.
- Zero disruptions/cancellations of events due to construction
Other team members include: AECOM / HEERY, Henderson Engineers, Olsson Associates, Bigelow Consulting, LeJeune Steel, Torgeson Electric, Central Mechanical, Bamford Fire Protection, Midwest Drywall, Gallegos Stone, Performance Masonry, Griffith Lumber, and Manko Windows.
Related Stories
| Feb 23, 2011
Architecture Billings hold steady after two months of improving conditions
After showing positive momentum during the fourth quarter of 2010, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) slipped almost four points in January. The January ABI score was 50.0, which is down from a reading of 53.9 the previous month, but still reflects stable demand for design services. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Feb 22, 2011
LEED Volume Program celebrates its 500th certified Pilot Project
More than 500 building projects have certified through the LEED Volume Program since the pilot launched in 2006, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED Volume Program streamlines the certification process for high-volume property owners and managers, from commercial real estate firms, national retailers and hospitality providers, to local, state and federal governments.
| Feb 22, 2011
HDR Architecture names four healthcare directors
Four senior professionals in HDR Architecture’s healthcare program have been named Healthcare directors.
| Feb 15, 2011
Iconic TWA terminal may reopen as a boutique hotel
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hopes to squeeze a hotel with about 150 rooms in the space between the old TWA terminal and the new JetBlue building. The old TWA terminal would serve as an entry to the hotel and hotel lobby, which would also contain restaurants and shops.
| Feb 15, 2011
New Orleans' rebuilt public housing architecture gets mixed reviews
The architecture of New Orleans’ new public housing is awash with optimism about how urban-design will improve residents' lives—but the changes are based on the idealism of an earlier era that’s being erased and revised.
| Feb 15, 2011
LAUSD commissions innovative prefab prototypes for future building
The LA Unified School District, under the leadership of a new facilities director, reversed course regarding prototypes for its new schools and engaged architects to create compelling kit-of-parts schemes that are largely prefabricated.
| Feb 15, 2011
New 2030 Challenge to include carbon footprint of building materials and products
Architecture 2030 has just broadened the scope of its 2030 Challenge, issuing an additional challenge regarding the climate impact of building products. The 2030 Challenge for Products aims to reduce the embodied carbon (meaning the carbon emissions equivalent) of building products 50% by 2030.
| Feb 15, 2011
New Urbanist Andrés Duany: We need a LEED Brown rating
Andrés Duany advocates a "LEED Brown" rating that would give contractors credit for using traditional but low cost measures that are not easy to quantify or certify. He described these steps as "the original green," and "what we did when we didn't have money." Ostensibly, LEED Brown would be in addition to the current Silver, Gold and Platinum ratings.
